British Police in Latvia over case of missing schoolgirl in UK, Latvian named prime suspect

2014-09-25
From wire reports, RIGA

British and Latvian Police are searching for missing Latvian suspect Arnis Zalkalns (photo: Met Police)

British police officers are in Latvia over the case of a missing schoolgirl in London, where the main suspect is missing Latvian man Arnis Zalkalns.

Latvian citizen Arnis Zalkalns, who has been missing since September 3, has been named a prime suspect in a missing schoolgirl case in London.

Alice Gross, 14, went missing after going for a walk in west London on August 28. Detectives believe Zalkalns came across Alice on the day she went missing. Zalkalns has been declared missing since September 3.

Police in London say Zalkalns had a murder conviction in his native Latvia, where he was jailed in 1998 and served a seven-year sentence. They say in 2009 he was also arrested in connection with an indecent assault on a teenage girl West London but the case was dropped.

Latvian Police however have denied to comment on whether the builder may have fled to Latvia.

Latvian Police have been cooperating with British colleagues on the case since last week. Taking into account the seriousness of this case, cooperation with British police on this matter has become a top priority for the State Police.